A Lesson In Botany
by Kachanski
Summary: It was a peaceful day, sitting amongst the Lilly of the Valley. That is until one of Kyouraku's newly born tricks backfires onto him!


**Hmm...Oddly the amount I write seems to have gone up during my exams...^_^ Well, at least I only have two to go now! yay! **

**I hope you enjoy this! XD**

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On a sunny day, on a grassy hilltop, two young men sat relaxing after a long day of training. Half dozing in the warm sunlight by a plethora of beautiful white flowers, the breeze ruffling their hair, only pausing to swing the bell shaped flowers lazily and stir the grass as it passed on its journey to nowhere.

One of the young men lay in the grass, his face shielded from the sunlight by a brand new straw hat and his brown hair below it spread out around his face, shifting as he moved his hands with dramatic gestures. "I was so proud of it!" he proclaimed to his companion who was resting against a lonely tree. "And she said it was tacky. Tacky!" he fingered the rim of his hat restlessly as he spoke before looking to his friend. "Is it tacky Ukitake?"

Ukitake smiled, his eyes half closed. "If I were to say it was, Kyouraku, would you believe me?"

Kyouraku looked a little taken aback before laughing. "No" he admitted "probably not"

There was a comfortable silence for a few minutes as the two listened to the birds and the sound of the wind in the trees until Ukitake spoke, still looking at the sky. "It's so quiet here. I visit home and there's nothing but noise and then I come back and the silence is almost deafening."

"I suppose that's what comes from having so many siblings." Kyouraku murmured, glancing sidelong at his pale friend. "I hope I make enough noise to compensate."

That comment drew a soft chuckle from the white haired man as he looked down to the other. "You certainly do at times. Especially when there's a girl involved."

Kyouraku hummed his agreement softly, his eyes closed as the wind again tickled the flowers beside him, their scent filling the air. "These flowers smell lovely" he commented after a while, plucking one from the bed and examining it carefully. "It smells a bit like Ayaka..."

His friend leaned down to look at it. "It's Lilly of the Valley." His assessment went unheard though, as another thought entered Kyouraku's easily distracted mind.

"She's quite cruel she is."

Off guard, Ukitake stared at his companion, confused. "Who is?"

"Ayaka of course! I came up with this ingenious method of getting her attention, and she just..." the flamboyant man trailed off, his hands gesticulating vaguely.

With a patience as deep as the sea Ukitake prompted his friend, knowing that he wanted to continue, but for dramatic effect was unable to. "What was it?"

"Well" Kyouraku waved the small flower, "I put a piece of grass or something in my mouth, like this." He demonstrated with the white bud, "and then when she came I said to her: 'I put this in my mouth because it makes me look cool...but I think it's poisoned...I cant feel my tongue.'" he swallowed, with a little difficulty due to the stem in his mouth. "But she just knocked it out of my mouth and walked off, calling me an idiot!"

Ukitake smiled vaguely. "She did have a point..., if it were true, then it would be the first reaction to knock it out of someone's mouth."

"Yes but she could have comforted me afterwards, nursed me back to health.." the prone man wailed around the green stem in his mouth.

"That would mean that she didn't believe you" Ukitake smiled down at his friend. As he looked at him, lying on he ground with a flower wobbling comically in his mouth his the white haired man's eyes widened with horror and he pointed shakily at the flower. "Kyouraku! L-Lilly of the Valley!"

"huh?"

"Its poisonous!"

Kyouraku sat up with a start, the innocent looking flower falling from his mouth, its end mashed. After a few moments he looked at Ukitake pitifully. "I don't feel well."

Ukitake grinned. "Can you not feel your tongue?" he asked mischievously.

"Ukitake! I'm serious!"

"All right, all right." Ukitake stood, pulling his friend to his feet. "Let's go find someone to sort you out." As he pulled the stricken Kyouraku along he smiled. "perhaps this will teach you not to play tricks to woo women. It'll come back to haunt you."

Kyouraku nodded reverently. "My lesson is learned. Please...can we hurry? I'm getting too sick, see my breathings all irregular."

"Your breathing's is fine, take it from someone who knows what irregular breathing is."

"All right" Kyouraku conceded "But I do feel faint."

Kyouraku's listing of symptoms continued as the two made their way down the hill, Ukitake patiently rebuffing and disproving every one until they were out of sight. On the top of the hill, by the solitary tree the wind continued to play with the poisoned beauties known as Lilly of the Valley, and the world remained unaffected by the drama which had briefly unfolded in its solitary midst.

Down below a young woman, her dark hair braided neatly down her back, heard the frantic conversation coming towards her and sighed. Things were going to get busy.

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**^_^ As always hearing what you think is wonderful!**


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